Automatic car-coupling.



Patented 001. 17,1916.

@$13,140 @Hom/M21? @waa Ill/01111 y 9M@ C ns Armar o l JOHN WILLISON, OF DERBY, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE 1\l'.AlI0 1\TA]'J MALLEABL CASTINGS COMPANY, OFVCLEVELAND, `OI-IIO.

AUTOMATIC CAR-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent. i

Patented Oct. 17, 1916.

Application lled February 21, 1914, Serial No. 820,175. Renewed August 10, 1916.- Serial No. 114,296.

170 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WILLIsoN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing in Derby, England, and whose postoflice address is 123 Palmerston street, Derby, in the county of Derby, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car- Couplings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention `consists in improvements or modifications in the car couplers described in the specification to my United States patent application No. 114,294, which are of the type wherein each vertically pivoted coupler head is free to move laterally but may be locked in coupled condition with another similar coupler head by means of a pair of gravity locking blocks mounted one in each coupler head in recesses provided for the purpose, the blocks overlapping each other when in locking position and being adapted to slide on inclined surfaces. so that they can be moved out of engagement with each other to permit the relative lateral movements necessary for effecting the coupling and uncoupling operations.

I have already proposed, as explained in my co-pending applications Nos. 114,293, 114,294 and 114,295 to improve car vcouplers of the above type, by providing `them with means adapted not only to shiftthe locking blockpalong its inclined surfacesV into a retracted or unlocked position, but also to retain it there so that the coupler heads on two vehicles can, during shunting operations, engage each other without becoming coupled together. I have also proposed in these specifications to provide such couplers with lock set devices by means of which a locking` block shifted into the retracted or unlocked position is automatically retained in that position as long as the associated coupler head is in engagement with a similar coupler head, even though the locking block be released by the retracting device, but the locking block becomes fre-e to returnV automatically to the forward or locked position as soon as the two heads move apart and become disengaged.

rIhe present invention consists in an auto- Amatic lock set device which, though performing the same functions as those just referred to, has an vimproved form and manner of operation. Y l

Compared with my former lock-set devices the improved device possesses the following'advantagesz-It consists of asingle member and is therefore cheaper to make than a device with a number of parts'or members; it is contained almost entirely within the coupler head and consequently is less liable to injury from weather and eX- ternally-applied blows; it is more positive in action 1n extreme relative vertical positions of two engaging coupler heads, that 1s to say should the difference in level of two engaging coupler heads, through some cause or other, amount to even more than half the depth of a head the device will still performits duty efficiently; lby reason of the part of the lock-set device that is operated by an opposing coupler head having a position corresponding with the mid-depth ofits own coupler head or nearly so; and it retains the locking block later, that is for a longer period in its lock-set position, while the two opposing couplers are separating from each other, which is due to the movement of the device, when swept out of engagement with or brushed aside by the locking block, being in an cbliquely forward transverse direction, so that the deviceV follo-ws the direction of movement of the guard arm face of the opposing coupler` against which face the end of the device bears. The return movement of the device into engagement with the locking block takes place in the reverse direction, that is in an oblique-ly rearward transverse. direction, and is affected by the inwardly extending-nose of the guard arm face of the opposing coupler.

The invention willbe described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show a coupler of the kind referred to and more particularly described and illustrated in my patent application No. 114,292 having the present invention applied.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a part elevation of a coupler head; Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line 2 2 and Fig. 3 is a part plan of a coupler, part of an engaging coupler head being shown in broken lines and in positions that it successively las-` sumes in passing into or out of engagement, Fig. 4 represents an elevation and plan of a locking block, and Fig. 5 shows a plan, side and end views of a lock-set piece.

The parts of the coupler and head in the accompanying drawingsy which correspond in substantial degree to parts described land illustrated in the above cited specifications, are denoted herein by corresponding reference letters. rlhe locking block f, the parts c and Z of the block retracting device in the coupler shank b and the coupler head a with its guiding surfaces g2, g3 are substantially the same as those referred to in those specifications, the interior recess in the coupler head being modified merely for Vthe reception of the improved lock-set piece which is herein denoted by the reference letter Q. This lock-set piece comprises a body portion Q and an rupwardly projecting head kportion Q2 which serves for retaining the locking block in the unlocked position as explained below. When assembled in the coupler head, the body Q .ofthe lock-set piece is housed or mounted in a laterally and outwardly directed slotway or aperture g in the wall of the recess Q in the head and in the manner to be capable of sliding to and fro therein, and in a direction that is obliquely across the coupler head, while the head portion Q2 is laccommodated within a suitably formed recess or sinking p formed in or on the said wall, with its face Q3 in parallel relation but normally out of contact with the adjacent side of the locking block f and a projection 7 thereon. On the upper part of the head .Q2 is a forwardly projecting guide Q6 which is adapted to rest on a corresponding ledge p adjacent to the recess Q9, and serves to support .the lockset piece during its sliding movements. The face Q4 of the head portion .Q2 is beveled off to a convenient angle and in such a manner that if the piece Q be mounted in the slotway QG the pressure be applied normally to the face Q4, the resultant .force on the piece Q, due to this pressure and the resistance of the oppositevside wall of the slotway QG, will tend to forcel the piece Q in a direction longitudinal ofthe slotway.

The length of the body Q is such that its end Q5 normally projects beyond the outer wall of the coupler head to a desired extent, while the head portion Q2 is out of contact with the locking block.

The .locking block is provided not only with the slotted projecting rib f6 which engages in known manner with the dependent part Q4 of the coupler head in order to guide the locking block in its forward and backward movements, but also with the projection f2 which, While the block is being retracted, will under certain conditions described below, pass beneath the head Q2 and vthereby lift the head portion Q2 and cause the lock-set piece to tilt or turn on the lower serve to retain the block in the retracted position.

As the lock-set piece Q is normally out of engagement or contact with the locking block this latter can accordingly be pushed backward sliding on its guiding surfaces Q2, g3 and move forward again into the locked position, without hindrance from the lock-set piece. Vhen however, pressure is applied to its end Q5 then the body Q will be caused to slide inwardly within the slotway or bearing Q so that the khead portion Q2 moves into contact, or nearlyso, with the adjacent side of the locking block. If the locking block be in its locking down yposition andthe piece Q be pushed back, then the turning on the lower outer edge of the slotway.

Asv stated above, the end Q5 of the body normally projects beyond the outer face of its coupler head, but when this coupler head engages another coupler head, inwardly projecting nose or face'cZ2 of the guard arm of the opposing coupler head will engage the end Q5 and as the twocoupler heads pass into linal interlocking engagement the end Q5 of the part Q will be pressed inwardly in a rearwardly and obliquely transverse direction, so that the head Q2 comes into close proximity or contact with the side of the locking block, as explained above. 1f the locking block be now retracted from the locking down position by the device provided for the purpose the projection 7 thereon first lifts the head portion Q2 and then passes beyond it, whereupon the head Q2 by reason of its weight drops again and in front of the projection f2. The locking block will be retained in the retracted position by the engagement of the projection with rthe head of the lock-set piece after the retracting device has itself been turned back to the position corresponding to the locking down position of the locking block, and unt-il such time as the two coupler heads move out of engagement and thereby leave the vlock-set piece free to slide outwardly again in its bearing QG which it will do by reason of the pressure applied to the end Q* `by the projection ff of the locking block as the block automatically returns to its locking position under `the action of gravity. To facilitate this brushing aside of the lock-set vpiece, the slope or bevel of the faceflo ofthe If the aXis of the slotway g@ be parallel with the face Z3 of the coupler head, then the sliding movements of the body portion of the lock-set piece in a coupler head will be in directions corresponding with those in which the guard arm of an opposing coupler head is at the moment moving into or out of engagement with the first said coupler head and the end g5. The guide on the head of the lock-set piece, in addition to supporting the lock-set piece during its sliding movement, serves to retain the piece within the head of the coupler. The head is sufficiently weighted to drop or move automatically into a lockset position in front of the retracted locking block after it has been lifted or tilted by said block during the retracting operation.

Having thus described the nature of the said invention and the best means I know of carrying the same into practical effect, I

l. A car coupler of the vertical plane type comprising a coupler head having a cavity therein, a gravity actuated lock mounted in said cavity, a projection on the lock, a lock-setting device mounted on the coupler head adapted in one position to be moved into a supporting engagement with the projection on the lock by contact with an opposing coupler head, and to be forced out of such engagement with the lock by the gravity actuated movement of the lock as the couplers draw apart.

2. A car coupler of the vertical plane type comprising a coupler head having a cavity therein, a gravity actuated lock mounted in said cavity, and a lock-setting device mounted in a recess in one jaw of the coupler head7 the said device being adapted to be driven into supporting engagement with the lock for lock-setting by contact with an opposing against t-he lock of a similar coupler to hold said couplers in interlocked position, the lock-set device comprising a member movably mounted on the coupler head and capable of assuming a supporting and a non-supporting position with the lock, said member being held in supporting position by contact with a similar coupler and being adapted to be shifted to non-supporting position by movement of the lock.

t. A coupler of the vertical plane type having in combination, a coupler head, a gravity-actuated lock, and a lock-set device, said head having projections adapted to interlock with corresponding projections on a similar coupler by a relative lateral movement between said couplers, said locl being movable into overlapping engagement with a corresponding lock on a similar coupler to hold the couplers against relative lateral movement, and said lock-set device comprising a member having a floating bearing on the coupler-head, and adapted to assume a supporting and a nonsupporting relation with said lock, said member being held in its supporting relation by contact with an opposing coupler head and being forced out of supporting relation by the gravity-actuated movement of the lock.

1n testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN WILLISON. Witnesses:

JOSEPH MILLARD, VALTER J. SKERTEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

